I am a Junior transfer student who is going to be receiving minimal help from my parents. I am going down a Biotechnology/Bioinformatics/Computational Biology route. My current top two schools are UF and FSU, mainly because they are in-state and have decent Biology programs. I eventually plan to attend graduate school after I finish my BS.
My safety school was going to be USF, but I was told that it isn’t going to be worth it if I plan to continue onto grad school. My friend is trying to convince me of this: Me: I don’t know if I want to spend that much money on undergrad. Me: I would rather spend that money on grad school. Friend: That’s the deal though - spending a bit more to go to a really good undergrad program, one that offers quality research opportunities and especially if you do well - means you’re more likely to not have to pay for grad school at all. And far more likely to get into a good one. Friend: Ugh, that was a grammatical mess, but I think it mostly made sense
**Friend:** If you're serious about grad school, I'd definitely recommend aiming high for undergrad. At least that's what I've been told.
So I was wondering:
[]Would it be worth it to attend OOS schools?
[]If it is, are there any suggestions on “affordable” schools with programs I am interested in? (This particular friend has been recommending UC-Berkeley and UW-Seattle)
[]Should I just aim for OOS internships during my summer break?
[]Are there any other recommendations or guidance people may offer me?
Both Berkeley and UW are incredible schools, you just have to ask yourself if that’s a viable option for you. Florida is a great public school, so you can’t go wrong there, I’d also recommend checking out UMiami.
Uh, no. Your grad school opportunities hinge on your GPA and GRE test scores. There may be SOME tracking with more “prestigious” schools but not much
You’d be full pay for most OOS public colleges. Will your parents pay that? If you have high grades and scores you may want to look at U Alabama which has lots of merit $. If you’re NMSF there are even more schools open to you.
@falcon97 Thanks for the feedback! I was considering UMiami a while back, but I think I wrote it off because of the cost (45k/year… yikes). I think I may look back into applying!
@Erin’s Dad - That is what my understanding was. I figured they also looked into research/internships? Which I figure I will receive more in areas that aren’t Tampa. But that may just be my negative attitude towards Tampa…
My parents have a maximum budge of 15k towards my tuition. I feel bad saying they are helping me “slightly”, since it will cover all of my in-state tuition, but it will only cover half a year OOS. I am not familiar with NMSF, but my quick internet research made it look like a scholarship for high school students. I was an underachiever in high school, so I doubt I qualify. (My grades are MUCH better in college)
But overall thanks for all of the advice! I will be looking into U Alabama and their programs.
Your opportunities for merit aid as a transfer student are more limited than if you were applying straight out of high school. University of California schools have limited merit money for anyone and won’t be generous for an out of state applicant. If your parents have a of 15K contribution limit I’d look in state for your best option.
Is your eventual goal an Maters Degree or Doctorate? If a Doctorate, then keep in mind that many graduate students in technical fields receive stipends, teaching assistance salaries, and/or paid research positions while working on their thesis (especially doctorate). To the extent that you are successful in your undergraduate degree courses and are accepted to strong graduate programs you will probably not need to pay for your graduate education. Research this a bit. Pick a specific field from the three you named, and a university with a strong graduate program in that field. Then study the application process to the graduate program at the university, and the percentage of students on some form of stipend. The bottom line is that you may not need to think about “saving” for graduate school. Focus on getting into the best undergraduate program that you can get into and that you can afford “now”.
I think Erin’s Dad didn’t notice that you’re a junior transfer student. UAlabama and similar won’t work for you.
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Would it be worth it to attend OOS schools?
If it is, are there any suggestions on "affordable" schools with programs I am interested in? (This particular friend has been recommending UC-Berkeley and UW-Seattle)
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You can’t afford those schools. Your parents are paying $15k per year. You can’t borrow the remaining $40k per year for Berkeley or UWash.
Go to UF or FSU.
Did you qualify for Bright Futures?
P.S. Your friend doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Unless he’s paying for your education, forget him.
^^^ Yes, go to UF or FSU. Do well in classes and get into a lab doing research. Plenty of excellent graduate schools will be available if you do these two things.
Is there a limit to the amount I can take out in loans? I have yet to take out a loan since I went to a state college, so I’m not familiar with student loan constraints.
UF/FSU are my top choice schools still, but I was mainly curious in case I didn’t get accepted (FSU doesn’t have personal statements or consider research/volunteering for transfers). I figured an OOS school may be “better” than USF.
I wasn’t eligible for Bright Futures, I was a slacker in high school and barely managed a 2.9 GPA.
I would think UF would be great - we have a friend of our family who just graduated from their medical school and had a great experience (matched too). I would not pay OOS fees for anything that is not a complete slam-dunk in your prospective field.
@“Erin’s Dad”, depending on the grad school, research and recs also matter. Like elite undergrads, good grad programs admit people, not numbers (law school is a different beast).
However, UF is a good research university and FSU isn’t bad either. Also, I don’t know if NCF has your field, but they send a stupendous percentage of students on to grad school.
Is there a limit to the amount I can take out in loans? I have yet to take out a loan since I went to a state college, so I'm not familiar with student loan constraints.
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Yes, YOU can only borrow $7500 per year as a junior and senior.
Sorry about my earlier post. I missed junior in college and read junior in HS. The general theme still holds. Stay in-state for undergrad and look outside for grad school.
For your major, UF and FSU will work out fine. After your GPA and GRE test scores, you’ll need to look for research opportunities and both schools will offer that.
USF will also work fine as a back-up. It also does a decent amount of research. A friends son recently graduated from UNF, and landed a (paid) spot in a Doctorate program at UM (Chemistry).